Country music has been around a while and same with some of its musicians. But you don't need to have been around for a while to have an influence on things. Garth Brooks was born on February 2, 1962 but started recording in 1989. But just because he has only been recording for ten years doesn't mean he hasn't done much. He has had four #1 country singles and he is the first singer to win six Academy of Country Music awards in one year! He has also beaten Bruce Springstein’s record of selling out an 18,000 seat arena in 37 minutes. I could list all his achievements but that would take to long ao I would like to sum it up by saying that Garth Brooks is a great country music singer and will go down in history.

Tupac Shakur, or 2pac, was born in Brooklyn New York in the year of 1971 but moved to Baltimore very early in his short life where he attended The Baltimore School for Performing Arts. When he had a family he moved to Oakland and started working as a dancer for a hiphop group called The Digital Underground. Soon his music career took off when he released his first singles and in no time platinum selling albums. He was in the movie Poetic Justice as well as Above the Rim and Gridlock. Tupacs short but successful life was ended on September 13, 1996 by unknown gunmen. Tupack was robbed of his life as well as his chance of even greater success.
I believe that 2pac’s music was so popular because like most rap, it is looked upon as cool by many young people and his lyrics were well understood by many people. He had many different songs but everyone of them was a great success. He sung about violence and was involved with gangs but a great, budding life was taken for a bad reason if any reason at all.

The Beastie Boys were the first white rap group of any importance and popularity, but they didn't start that way. They received a bad name from critics as well as from other musicians and singers since they started as hard-core punk rock band in 1981. During much of the mid eighties the Beastie Boys were thought of as “macho clowns and many of their early songs and albums didn't so anything to reverse that thinking. The three Bastie Boy members, Mike D., MCA, and Ad-Rock, joined the record title, Def Jam Records. Later, the Beastie Boys moved to California and joined Capitol Records. Their hip hop/punk rock was greatly accepted but they moved more into hip hop and were an even greater success. The Beastie Boys have been around for a while and they aren't going anywhere by the looks of it.
The Beastie Boys’ are well liked by many people and even though old school rap has gone out of style the Beastie Boys have stuck with their chanting lyrics and these three Jewish white boys are still in the ring. I believe that their reason of popularity is that many people, I for one, are impressed. Most rappers are black and sing about the ghetto or things like that, but these underdogs have burst through all that and have made their way to the top. They also have appealing, and most of the time, appropriate lyrics. I sure hope that these guys stay around for a while.

Bone Thugs N Harmony started in 1993 in Cleveland but didn't find popularity until a few years later. They were one of Eazy-E’s last production efforts before his death in 1995. Bone features Krazie Bone, Lazie Bone, Bizzy Bone, Wish Bone, and Flesh-N-Bone. Bone took off and sold 3,000,000 copies of its first hit single, Creepin on Ah Come Up and soon were releasing albums. They formed a whole group of artists called Mo-Thugs including themselves as well as many other artists and stated releasing CD’s with them as well as their own CD’s. Bone keeps producing hits and will for a while to come.
Bone Thugs N Harmony's music is so popular because they harmonize with their very fast lyrics on some songs making it sound like they use some special machine, but they donut. All the members of Bone must have been born with rhythm and time because they do deserve their name Bone Thugs N Harmony. On other songs they use shouting, very, very fast lyrics about happenings with each other and they even have a few songs about Eazy-E. These guys are just plain good at what they do and no one can say different.
Although she is still in her teens, singer Brandy is one of the brightest stars shining in the music business today. She has had hits on pop and R&B music charts and has done a lot of work in television. She was born in McComb, Missouri in 1979 but was raised in California. She was recognized ever since she was a little girl by people for her singing talents and people knew that she would be a star when she grew up, and of course, she has. Her biggest hits include, “Sittin’ Up in My Room,” “Missing You,” “I Wanna Be Down,” and “Baby.” Many of those have been songs on soundtracks to many different movies. She has also starred and co-starred in television shows such as Thea, Moesha, and played the lead roll in the made for t.v. movie, Cinderella. She is a very accomplished person for her young age.
I believe that her popularity comes from her very, very, nice-sounding voice and her great looks don't hurt a thing. The first time I heard her i couldn't believe she was only 16 because her voice was so nice sounding I thought that she had to have been singing for a much longer time. She definitely will have a long and prosperous career in the future.
The alternative/rock band Cake formed in 1994 and got off to a quick start right from there. They signed with Capricorn Records almost immediately and appeared nation wide in 1995 with a hit song. This band started in Sacramento, California where their music is most appreciated according to the band. This hit band includes guitarist Greg Brown, basest Victor Damiani, trumpeter Vince Di Fiore, vocalist and guitarist John McCrea, and drummer Todd Roper.
Cake is very popular among the people that know them, but many have not heard there music until their two biggest hits, “The Distance, and “Never There.” They are well liked by their loyal fans for their lyrics and their music. Their lyrics are understandable and they sing about things that make sense, but they also sing in metaphors sometimes. Their lyrics also match the speed and volume of the music, which many other bands can’t do to well. Their music is very good and energetic but when that trumpet comes in it boosts the music because it varies the sound and it adds even more life to the already lively music. These guys are ranked high in my book as well as with many other people’s.
Offspring is an alternative music band that came to fame in 1994. This band features singer Dexter Holland, guitarist Kevin “Noddles” Wasserman, basest Greg Kreisel, and drummer Ron Welty. Their first album was called Ignition and it was an underground hit that paved the way for their very successful album, Smash. Their success grew and grew in America with hit songs and albums like “Come out and Play,” “Gotta Get Away,” “Smash It Up,” “Ixnay on the Hombre” and “Americana.”
Offspring are definitely popular. This is because of their fun lyrics and good beat. They have a nice sound and i believe it is a mixture of fun and good rhythm. All of their songs will get stuck in your head. The first time you hear it you will be humming it and if you listen to it a lot and remember the lyrics (which isn't hard to do) you will find yourself singing it without noticing. These guys sound nice and are entertaining.
Snopp Doggy Dog, now known as Snoop Dog was born in Long Beach, California as Calvin Broadus was one of the most important people during the rise of Gansta Rap in the 90’s and still is. For a while, he was the most popular rapper in the world, longer than most. He still is up there with the top runners in rap but has faded slightly. He is popular because his “laconic” rapping and the violence that he sung about seemed real and when he was arrested on charges of being a murder accomplice that he was cleared of. But battling those charges slowed down his very strong momentum. he has teamed up with many rappers to produce great songs but he is just effective by himself. Snoop has released many songs and it seems that each is just as successful, if not more, than the one before it.
Snoop’s popularity is due to many things. One, I think is the image of himself he sends out to the people. He sings about gangs, he wants us to think of him as a gang member, he sings about drugs or murder he want us to think he uses drugs or is a murderer. He also has a way of rapping that he can call his own. His lyrics aren't always fast and racing, but drawn out so they have more meaning. But, at times he can sing fast wet coast rap. All his songs are understandable, not too fast, not too wild, not too weird, just right. This guy can rap and he has definitely help the young, developing rap world along.